Former Spanish Olympian, Mirambell, targets IBSF presidency

The four-time Olympian from Spain confirmed his candidacy for the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation’s top seat this week with elections due 11 June in Salzburg in which he expects to succeed Ivo Ferriani after 16 years at the helm.

Already considered a national pioneer in the discipline, Ander Mirambell is preparing for another major step in a career shaped by perseverance, growth and the development of a sport that was virtually non-existent in Spain before he took to the sliding track.

The 43-year-old announced his candidacy for next month's vote during the organisation's Congress in Austria and the news was first reported by local newspaper MARCA, which also confirmed that the Spaniard will contest the position against Latvia's Martins Dambergs, current vice president for legal affairs at the IBSF; Germany's Heike Groesswang, secretary general of the organisation; and Jamaica's Nelson Christian Stokes, a four-time Olympic bobsleigh athlete.

Born in Barcelona, Mirambell is seeking to succeed Italy's Ferriani, who had already announced at the 2022 Congress in Lausanne that he would not seek another mandate after 16 years leading the international federation. During that same cycle, Mirambell was elected vice president for sport at the IBSF, a role that placed the Spaniard within the organisation's decision-making structure.

From that position, Mirambell believes the federation must open a new chapter, "As vice president, we have done many things very well, but the evolution of the sport now demands different leadership. It is a difficult challenge, but an exciting one. I believe I have an interesting profile, I come from sport, I know every part of the structure and I am backed by the experience of having contributed to the development of skeleton in Spain", he told MARCA.

The bid is also supported by an unusual journey within winter sports. Mirambell not only became Spain's first Olympic skeleton athlete, but also managed to remain at elite international level for more than 15 years in a discipline historically dominated by countries with far stronger structures and resources.

Mirambell's Olympic appearances included Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022, where the Catalan was also selected as Spain's flagbearer during the opening ceremony. Across a long career, Mirambell competed in more than 180 international events, made 92 World Cup appearances and raced at 11 World Championships, while also winning the America's Cup titles in 2016 and 2020 to become the first European athlete to achieve that double.

After retiring in 2022, the Catalan moved into technical and development roles within the Royal Spanish Ice Sports Federation (RFEDH), becoming technical director for skeleton, bobsleigh and luge, as well as a skeleton coach.

Since then, Mirambell has led recruitment and development programmes aimed at turning a personal journey into a long-term structure for the sport in Spain. That idea of legacy also appears on his personal website, which highlights how more than 40 applicants took part in a selection process designed to build a new generation of Spanish skeleton athletes after retirement.

The move from the ice track to governance now sits at the centre of a candidacy built around Mirambell's experience and his ambition to help lead the discipline internationally, "I am facing a special moment, it is like reaching Everest in sport, but it is not only about me, there is a great team behind this", he stated.

If elected in Salzburg, Mirambell would join the small group of Spaniards currently leading Olympic international federations, alongside Antonio Fernandez Arimany at World Triathlon.

Beyond the election result itself, the candidacy once again highlights the place former athletes can occupy in international sports governance: not only as symbolic figures, but also as profiles capable of bringing direct competitive experience into decision-making structures.